Assessment of serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 levels in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE To determine serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 in overweight and normal weight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and investigate the possible relationship between these adipokines and metabolic syndrome. METHODS This cross sectional study enrolled women with PCOS and healthy women. Serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. RESULTS Forty patients with PCOS and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. In the PCOS group, 18 women were overweight (body mass index [BMI] = 25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)) and 22 had normal weight (BMI = 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)). Chemerin, total cholesterol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and free androgen index (FAI) were significantly higher; and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sex hormone binding globulin were significantly lower in overweight PCOS patients compared with normal weight PCOS patients. A positive correlation was found between chemerin and BMI, triglyceride, insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and FAI in the PCOS group. There was no difference in serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 between PCOS patients and healthy controls. CONCLUSION Circulating chemerin was increased in overweight compared with normal weight PCOS patients. The most predictive variables for circulating chemerin in PCOS patients were BMI, FAI and age.